SCONUL Invitation to tender: The view from above
12 October 2026 
Katy Henderson, Team Administrator
SCONUL is inviting proposals to undertake research exploring how senior leaders in UK and Irish higher education and research institutions now perceive the strategic value and leadership of their libraries, and what has changed since 2017. We expect the core method to be semi-structured interviews with around 18–24 vice-chancellors, pro vice-chancellors, registrars and other executive leaders, leading to a published report with practical recommendations.
We would welcome proposals from consultants, researchers and organisations with experience of qualitative research and a good understanding of higher education, libraries or leadership development.
Key dates:
- Clarification questions by 6 November 2026
- Proposals due by 16 November 2026
- Fieldwork from January to March 2027, with the final report due in April 2027
The full brief is available here. Please send proposals and questions to Ann Rossiter, Executive Director, at ann.rossiter@sconul.ac.uk.
We would be very grateful if you could pass this on to anyone who might be interested.